Beating the Summer Slump

Tay & I finished finals about a week ago and have been sort of off the grid since. After getting home from the airport, I crashed and have basically been sleeping/lounging ever since. I find that this happens every year- maybe it’s the heat, or the fact that I have free time for the first time in forever, or the fact that everyone seems to move a little slower during the summer. Whatever it is, I hit a sort of slump and suddenly realize halfway through July that I haven’t accomplished any of the things I wanted to do.

This year, I decided there was a lot of things I wanted to get done this summer and I realized that I needed to plan early if I was going to accomplish them. Even though I’ve been a little lazy this week, I have tackled a few projects already (which I’ll be sharing on the blog) and am looking forward to more! Here are my tips for beating the summer slump and making the best of the season.

1. Make a list of your goals and keep them someplace visible. I decided I wanted to totally de-clutter and remodel my room and finish a race with my mom, so I set a reminder on my phone calendar. Every morning I wake up to a notification telling me to do those things, so they’re impossible to ignore.

2. Allow yourself some down time. Don’t convince yourself that you’re going to lose 40 pounds, remodel your kitchen, learn a new language, and travel to 7 countries. Just like with unrealistic New Year’s Resolutions, you’ll fall off the bandwagon and end up feeling defeated. Just recognize that some r&r is necessary and you don’t have to be taking on big projects every day.

3. Choose a two week period during which you’ll accomplish some things that have really been bothering you. It’s easy for something as small as a paint color you really hate ruin your day, so identify the things that generally put you in a bad mood and try to address them. Has your cluttered desk been driving you crazy? An exercise class you signed up for but still haven’t attended? Sometimes accomplishing one small thing gives me the confidence boost I need to move on to bigger tasks, so choose something manageable to start with.

4. Design a reward system for yourself as motivation. That new pair of shoes you’ve been wanting? The vacation you’ve been dying to take? Plan them and tell yourself that you’ll buy/do whatever it is as soon as you finish one of your goals!

5. FOCUS! I can’t stress this one enough. When you have a lot to do it’s easy to bounce from one task to another, but try dedicating yourself completely to one thing until you’re done. If you start cleaning out your closet, then start cleaning out the kitchen, then start on a gallery wall in your living room, you’ll probably just end up with a lot of half-finished projects.

6. Make it fun! You’ll be a lot more likely do paint your living room if you’re playing music and have friends over to help. Watch a movie while you work on a DIY project, take a dance class instead of running around a track, or have some good friends over for a painting party and celebrate with a fun dinner.

Hope that gives you guys some inspiration! Let us know what your summer goals are in the comments below.

xoxo
Kate “I’ve already caught up on all of my shows and I’ve been away for a season”